


Sweet But Not Sickening

by Ceridawn



Series: Neutral Evil Is Not Mutually Exclusive With Love [4]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Essek Week (Critical Role), Gen, but he can have exceptions, essek does not truly like sweets, jester is sweet, so are her gifts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23439442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceridawn/pseuds/Ceridawn
Summary: Essek is asked about his wine cabinet.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre & Essek Thelyss
Series: Neutral Evil Is Not Mutually Exclusive With Love [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1682158
Comments: 13
Kudos: 77
Collections: Essek Week





	Sweet But Not Sickening

**Author's Note:**

> For day 4 of Essek Week, cupcakes and wine. This is honestly just a little bit of cuteness. Essek can get nice things sometimes. Plus, half way through Essek week, it was time for someone to do something for him instead of the other way around.

"What," the Knight was too good at politics to sneer, but Essek could tell he wanted to. He had become very familiar with attempts at ridicule, no matter has subtle. Funny, how some continues even after he became the Shadowhand, as if they thought his age somehow canceled out the fact of his position. Prodigy that he was, dunamantic skill alone was not enough to hold and maintain such a title. But fools would think how they wished. "Is that?"

Idly, Essek allowed his eyes to trace the path of his finger. He was not particularly interested in what Harric was pointing at. No doubt some object that he simply was not trained to understand. Really, dealing with Den politics was so tedious. Especially when he was expected to host a gathering in his own home. They never made for welcome guests.

"It is very..bright." The slightly hesitant voice of Gavine brought his attention back to the matter at hand. She was normally more graceful than that when trying to avoid giving offense. And there were precious few things in this study that could be described in such a way.

Finally turning his all the way, he saw that it was his wine collection that had gathered his guests attention. Most of the bottles were dark, expensive things. Given as gifts or assassination attempts over the years, some of them he was not even sure which category they fell under. They made a decent display piece, he had long ago fallen into the habit of placing any wine he did not purchase for himself in the cabinet.

One bottle, however, stood out. Bright blue, with a shimmery pink ribbon tied in a bow around the top. At also had the distinction of being the only bottle in his collection he had actually sampled. A present, given unasked for by a guest that was welcome.

_One moment Essek was opening the door, the next he was being pulled down into a grasp that he could not hope to escape without magical aid. He froze for a moment, before forcing himself to relax into the blue arms. Jester being this close was fine. There would be no judgement for this._

_In a moment both too short and too long, she released him. The grin on her face was as wide as he had ever seen it, as she began to dig through her haversack. "So the presents you gave us were so nice Essek. So sweet. Beau loves her pocket bacon! And Caduceus has starting growing your mushrooms. The stone is in the garden too, Fjord prays with it or something I think. And the Traveler loved my necklace!"_

_"I am glad you are enjoying them. However, you already thanked me for them. When I gave them to you a week ago." It was nice to know they were appreciated, made him proud in a way he had not felt in many decades. However, that did not explain the currently excited Jester at his door._

_"Right! Well, we found a magic drink store that could do so many flavours! And you got us so many presents, it was only right to get you one as well!" Thrusting her hands forward, she presented him with a colorful bottle. "This will show you what cupcakes are supposed to taste like."_

He remembered the taste of the one glass he had tried. He thought it would be sickeningly sweet, and it was indeed to sweet for his tastes, but not as bad as expected. He had finished the glass, before resealing the bottle and putting it near the top of his collection.

"It was a gift."


End file.
